My hand's fist at my sides as I debate kicking the shit out of my old friend when I hear this new information. He knew. He saw and did nothing?
My anger towards Kyle is temporarily put on the back burner when Gia turns to face me. Her eyes connect with mine, and my stomach drops waiting for the blow she’s about to deliver. “The last part goes for you too. We’re done.” She’s out the door before I can even process what the fuck just happened. She just left me.
I stare at the door she just walked out of. My heart’s thudding; trying to burst out of my chest to go with her. It belongs to her after all.
Kyle comes to stand in front of me. His face is red, and the look on it is murderous. “This isn’t over by a long shot,” he threatens.
“I think it is. You can let yourself out,” I growl.
“I’ll deal with you later,” he sneers back, testing the last bit of patience I have where he’s concerned.
“You know where to find me,” I challenge. He stops to glare at me. His eyes shooting daggers my way, but he doesn’t say anything else before he disappears, leaving my front door wide open.
I slam the door behind him and dash for my phone. I dial Gia, but it goes straight to voicemail. I then send her a slew of texts hoping she’ll read them before she deletes them. My next instinct is to go to her, but I decide it’s a good idea to let her cool off.
So instead of ambushing her at work I bypass the diner going straight to the office to distract myself for the time being. I’ll just try and see her after she gets out of work. Maybe by then, she’ll be willing to talk to me.
Chapter 17
Gia
My head is still spinning. How the hell did this happen? Of all the men in the world to fall for, I fall in love with the one with ties to a past I don’t care to remember.
This morning, I woke up happy and in love. Now? Now, I don’t know what’s real or not. The past always has a way of catching up with you, and mine just hit me head on like a Mack truck.
“You alright sweetie?” Trish asks taking in my demeanor.
“Yeah,” I say not willing to elaborate.
“Welcome to Mitch’s. How can I help you?” I hear her ask. I’m so out of it, I didn’t even hear that damn bell chime.
“I’d like to speak to Georgia if that’s okay,” my so-called brother says.
“Nathan told you where I worked?” I accuse when I spin around.
“Um…no,” he says with a small smirk, motioning at my shirt. I look down and see the embroidered Mitch’s Diner on display. The same shirt I was wearing before I left Nate’s.
“Oh,” I say backing down, just a little embarrassed.
“Look. I know you don’t want to hear anything I have to say. I deserve every tongue lashing you throw my way and more. But I can’t go another day without you knowing how truly sorry I am,” he says with as much conviction as he can muster. “I know today’s not that day,” he continues. “and if you never do, I understand, but I selfishly hope one day you’ll find it in your heart to hear me out.”
I don’t say anything. I have nothing to say to him. He can take his apology and shove it up his ass. He was nowhere to be found when I actually needed someone.
Actually, he could be found. Right in the next room while his uncle abused me or his mother beat the shit out of me. I sure as hell don’t need him now.
When he realizes I’m not going to open dialogue with him, he covers his mouth with his fisted hand to clear his throat. “Okay well, I have something for you.” He pulls a piece of paper from his pocket and slides it across the counter to me. I don’t pick it up.
“I ah…I went home from school one day just after you left to try and look for you. Mom was on one of her drunken rants. Anyway, long story short, she revealed the name of your birth father. At first, I just thought she was rambling a bunch of nonsense because it’s pretty unbelievable. I grilled her some and the details she gave were scarring, to say the least,” he softly chuckles. “When she used to take off for weeks at a time she was partying down here in Atlanta. That’s how she met him. He doesn’t know about you. She never told him. She apparently was hoping you’d turn out to belong to dad, but obviously…” he trails off.
After a long moment of silence, he continues, “Okay so…I put my number on there too. In case you decide to ever talk to me again. I really pray one day you will.” Tears fill his remorseful eyes as he turns to walk away. He stops at the door, turning his head to the side to tell me, “I love you Georgia, and I’m so sorry.”
He leaves without another word.
My bottom lip involuntarily starts to quiver as I fight the onslaught of tears rushing forth. Growing up all I wanted was for my brother and sister to love me. Treat me like I belonged. Now he wants to be my brother? After everything I’ve been through? Well, it’s too very little and much too late.
My cries rip from my throat without permission as I sob loud and uncontrollably, not caring about all the eyes staring at me.
“Oh honey,” Trish says rushing over to wrap me in a hug while I fall apart.
After my meltdown, I’m able to pull it together enough for Trish and I to clear out the morning rush.
When it’s calm, I give her a rundown on the recent events, only giving vague details of my upbringing.
“I’m so sorry honey. If I’d have known all this, I never would have answered that ad,” she says shaking her head.
“What ad?” I ask looking up at her.
She all of a sudden looks shocked. Like she hadn’t meant to say what she just did out loud.
After a few moment, she sighs and spills. “Please don’t be mad…A little while back there was an ad in the paper. It said something along the lines of ‘long lost brother searching for little sister.’ It had your full name and said he thought you were here in Georgia. I thought it could be you but I wasn’t sure, so I called. When I did, the guy said he was from West Virginia like you, so I was positive it had to be you he was searching for.
“You never talk about your past. I didn’t know it was a troubled one. I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing a good thing and I needed the reward money to cover some bills,” She rushes out.
“So he paid you?” I shriek.
“No. I gave him Sophie’s information. I didn’t want you finding out it was me who called. I was ashamed and thought you would think I only did it for the cash. So I told him to talk to her, and he’d find you. If I had told him just to come here, you would have known it was me straightaway.
“He called a few days later and said Sophie told him she didn’t know you, so I wasn’t getting the money. I figured because of what happened with Sean, she was being bitter and lied. Anyways, I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? Trish, you tried to sell me out for money. When you saw that ad, you should have come to me instead of trying to mastermind some poorly thought out rouse! You’re supposed to be my friend. How could you do that?!”
“We are friends. I’m old Gia, but I’m still human. I messed up. I made a desperate decision. I didn’t think I was doing any harm. I thought I’d help reunite a family and cover my rent at the same time. Then you came in here giving me the exact amount I was short to pay it, and I felt so bad I went behind your back.”
“I gotta get out of here,” I say shaking my head in disbelief. I rush to grab my stuff and bail. Not caring I’m leaving Trish and Ken alone to run the diner.
Can I trust anyone? First Sophie and Sean. Then Nathan going behind my back to Hamilton and not telling me he knew Kyle this whole time. Kyle showing up claiming to be redeemed after all these years. Now Trish? It’s too much!
I wish Sam were here. The only person I’ve ever been able to count on was taken from me.
I miss you Sam.
At that thought, I know there’s only one place for me to go right now.
I storm in the music store where Darryl is helping a customer in the guitar section. One look at my
tear-streaked face, and he nods to the old piano I call home.
I drop my purse and coat on the floor and take a seat on the bench. The keys under the guidance of my fingers play my rendition of Timbaland and One Republic’s ‘Apologize.’ My mouth open and the lyrics to the song pour out of me with true conviction.
The song choice was automatic. That’s just how my brain works. Music is hardwired into my feelings, always has been. Thanks to Sam I learned how to let it out.
When I finish the song, the customer Darryl was helping claps approaching the piano. “That was amazing. You have a real gift.”
“Um thanks,” I mumble shyly. I normally don’t sing in front of people. When I sat down, it just sort of spilled out of me like it couldn’t be contained. Only two people have ever heard me sing in my whole life. One of them was Sam and the other Darryl.
As much as I loved music growing up, I never sang. Hummed sure, but never sang.
Probably because there wasn’t much to sing about.
As weird as it sounds, I didn’t even realize I could until I started playing and Sam told me I could.
“Well, I hope that’s not the last time I get to hear you perform,” he says before giving his attention back to my old friend. “Call me when I can pick up Rhonda, Darryl.”
“Okay. Will do,” Darryl salutes. The guy takes off leaving just me and Darryl.
“Who’s Rhonda?”
“That’s his guitar,” he chuckles.
“Oh,” I smile.
“Sam always loved to hear you sing. He’d brag about how gifted you are and don’t even know it. What’s got you unleashing that rarely used talent?”
My tears are instant upon hearing the question. “Just…stuff,” I say without elaborating.
“I see. Well, why don’t you tell me about it,” he says, patting the top of the piano.
I glide my fingers over the keys and take a deep cleansing breath and Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ is what flows out next, along with more tears. I pound the keys and belt out the song. I sing like I haven’t sung in so long. Darryl closes eyes, absorbing the words and sound.
When I’m done, he comes around to rub my back. “Heavy. Tell me more,” he says as he moves to continue about his business, listening to me sing and play. I stay at that piano until it’s dark out. A few customers coming and going. Some stop to listen to me. I barely register them there because I’m so lost in my head.
I help Darryl lock the store up and promise to check in with him soon before I finally head home. When I get there, I unload on Quinn. She makes me some of that same hot chocolate she had made the first night I came to stay with her.
She studies the piece of paper with the name and phone number of my supposed father.
“Wow. You think this is real? Are you going to reach out?”
“I don’t know. To either question,” I tell her.
“What about your brother?” she asks.
“Not a snowballs chance in hell.”
She takes a sip of her cocoa then clears her throat, “You probably don’t want to hear this, but I think you should talk to Nathan.”
“I don’t have anything to say to him right now. Quinn, he held out on me. I would have never kept something this big from him.”
“So you’re just going to end it? Just like that? I know he messed up by not telling you as soon as he figured out who you were, but what you two have is fucking epic. You’re really willing to just let that go?”
I stare at the floor thinking about what she’s saying, but I can’t forgive him right now.
After a few minutes of silence, she offers, “Don’t think so hard about it right now. Everything’s still fresh. You don’t have to decide right now.”
As soon as the words leave her mouth, there’s a knock at the door. “You want me to see who it is?” she asks.
“No. I have a pretty good idea who it is,” I say slowly standing to answer the door.
“I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Quinn says, excusing herself.
I open the door to prove my suspicions right. “Nathan.”
“Gia. Baby, I’m sorry.” I hold my hand up to halt his attempt to hug me. If he touches me, it’ll be too hard to do what I’m about to do.
“Don’t. We can’t be together anymore,” I blurt out.
“What? Why? All because I knew your brother before I met you?” he asks.
“No Nate! Because you lied.”
“I didn’t lie Gia!”
“No, you just omitted the truth right? You had multiple chances to tell me you knew Kyle, and that he was looking for me. Yet you chose not to. How do you even know him anyway?”
His lips purse before he answers, “We met in college. We were roommates. I knew about Erin, and one day Kyle told me he had another sister that he lost contact with. He didn’t tell me you ran away at seventeen until he came to me two years ago when he asked for my help to find you.
“That night I met you at the club, I was there to follow up on a tip. Kyle got saying Sophie Donovan would know where to find you.” Trish’s face flashes in my head since I now know she’s the anonymous tipper while Nathan continues his explanation, “But as it turns out, Sophie never knew you as Georgia am I right?” I nod to confirm.
“I was attracted to you Gia. Fucking mesmerized. That’s the only reason I approached you that night. I swear, I didn’t even know what you looked like. Kyle left out a lot of critical details when he asked for my help.”
I believe what he’s saying. I’m sure he didn’t know who I was. There’s no way he could have.
But he still should have told me the minute he figured it out. Instead, he played detective and went behind my back to Hamilton. Then he had almost a month to fess up, but he didn’t. He should have told me. Period.
“I believe you,” I tell him wiping my tears with the sleeve of my oversized sweater. “What I can’t believe is that you had damn near a month after you learned the truth to fill me in and you choose to keep it from me. I can’t trust you. And I don’t do second chances. So you can go,” I say, closing the door in his face.
“Gia,” he calls out my name banging on the door. “Please open the door.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Gia I’m not leaving. Please baby.”
The banging continues. However, I have nothing left to say. And since he won’t leave, I dock my iPod to deliver my message loud and clear.
Chapter 18
Nathan
I slide to the floor with my back against the door. I knew she’d be mad the longer I waited to tell her. But to end it? End us?
I guess I get it. She doesn’t trust easily. I broke that trust, and she was blindsided with Kyle just showing up. If I would have just told her, she could have been prepared for the possibility of seeing him. Then I could have just been honest with Kyle and explained how we met and tell him to leave the ball in her court.
But I didn’t. Each day I kept it to myself, it became harder and harder to come clean. I know it was stupid not to tell her. I thought I was protecting her. I was scared to lose her. I did anyway.
I reach behind me to knock on the door again. “Gia please.”
She doesn’t answer, but after a few minutes, a melody loudly wafts through the air, and I knew the song being played was meant for me. Music.
Sometimes I wish she’d just say what’s on her mind.
This is how she communicates her feelings best though. So I place my hand on the door and listen for the part that applies to me. It’s another one I’ve never heard before, but I later learn it’s Graffiti6’s ‘Over you.’ And when I hear the chorus, my heart starts to ache.
Cause I’m over you
This time is the last time, I’m over you
That won’t change, said I’m over you…
The song repeats over and over countless times before I finally make a move to leave.
I can’t beli
eve it. She’s really just done. But I’m not. I’ll give her all the time she needs, but I will be getting her back.
I stand to leave, but before I go I tell her through the door, I know she’s just on the other side of, “I love you Gia.”
I get home, and Kyle is waiting in the hall for me. I roll my eyes because I don’t have the energy to argue with him at the moment. I lost Gia, and it’s taking everything just to keep it together as it is.
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